Mindbloom

Wednesday 8June11

I had a problem solved recently. I've been trying for 2 years, if not longer to do a television fast. You know, stop watching television for say an entire week or month and get shit done. I couldn't manage to find a way to do it. The moment I walked in the house I was clicking on the TV and had it on Bravo for Law and Order. How many times do you need to see the same episodes? Then it was some other show and another. That 3 hours a night I could have been getting stuff done, like say, writing a novel.

I was mad at myself everyday for being so weak and just not keeping my promise to myself.

And then a friend sent me an invitation to Mindbloom. I was bitter at first. Why are people always sending invitations to some kind of social something? Jeez, I'm on facebook, I'm on plurk. I've got 5 email addresses and I spend so much time keeping up with those things it's any wonder I leave the house. Any how I checked it out.

It's a wonderful tree of your goals each branch is a specific area of your life and you start with 3 branches and create actions for those areas and you get seeds for keeping those actions. It's beautiful, it's visual and it's fun to keep track of your goals. The best part is because it costs you seeds to add an action, you really have to think about the most important actions you want to take. And as you go along, you make reasonable goals.

Well since I've been keeping track of my goals and actions on mindbloom, I've been so busy working on what I love that I have had no need to turn on the television. And my tree is looking mighty fine. And it all feeds into my chant, I want to feel good. I think if you click the title to this blog entry it will bring you to tree.mindbloom.com. It's been awhile since I've done any substantial blogging so I have figure out how to add links again. ha ha.

EY

Distractions

Sunday 5June11

I've been writing lots of poetry but the novel work has been nil for a minute. Possible love as distraction has been the cause. Also the cause of all the poetry.

It's interesting how hard it can be to live a balanced life and be a writer at the same time. I want to be totally focused on my writing but I want to have the enjoyments of normal human beings. Is that too much to ask?

Well the possible love as distraction has come to a screeching halt and I will continue to write poetry because good-byes make me productive. And I can use those magical feelings that I had for a character or more. And I go back to my nose in a book and I get back to my daily goal of 1000 words.

And all is apparently right in the world. Right, right, I have some pain to add to my characters lives too. Almost forgot about that.

EY

Pay Yourself to Write

28May11 Saturday

I've been looking for a way to reward myself for all the writing I do. But I've wanted to reward myself in such a way that fits into a few categories. One, I want to save for purchases but I feel like my budget is already tied up in other things and I can't quite figure out a better way to put money aside for them. Two, I want my purchases related to my writing. I want to have done a certain amount of work before I can purchase a new DVD player or speakers for my computer. You know the things that are more in the luxury area rather than the necessities.

One of my favorite inspiring shows to watch is Inside the Actor's Studio. I like the depth to it and I'm always surprised by the person who doesn't really interest me but drops some inspirational gem. Jay Leno was on there ages ago and I remember him saying that he has only lived off the money he's made as a comedian. He said that he does it so that he doesn't get lazy with it and continues to book gigs and do stuff related to his comedy. I've always liked that idea and somehow I've wanted to use that idea eventually. But of course I'd have to be making money from my writing. Not yet, but I will.

Anyhow I took the savings idea of paying yourself first and the idea of living off your passion and came up with the idea to pay myself to write. I've kept it simple and low yet enough that it can grow relatively quickly. So what I've been doing is paying myself a toonie for what I write. I pay $2 per poem; $2 per 1000 words in novel related writing and just recently added $2 per blog entry to get me back in to blogging.

So since the 2nd of this month I've earned $80. That money will be going up quicker for sure with the blog entries. And I have been writing a whole lot of poems lately which is a good feeling. I haven't decided what the first reward will be. Probably the computer speakers. I'm lost without music that I can blare. I had such beautifully loud speakers that I'd bought with my first imac way back when they were blueberry and grape etc. My cats running wild, managed to knock them off their perch onto the floor. The speakers continued to work for a few more years but they died recently and man, I needs me some new speakers. So to get them, I've got to write for them. And yes blogging again.

So much is happening these days, it feels time to blog again.

EY

Amanda Hocking

5Mar11

Well it's time to begin again. It has been a zillion months since I blogged and it is time to get back to it. Not sure what I will include in this but I'm here again. And perfect timing, it is within the New Moon period. The New moon was yesterday and in Pisces, my sun sign.

I've come across a few links for Amanda Hocking lately and if you click the title of this entry you will be led to her blog. She sounds like she works hard and she has had some decent success, after years of hard work, of course. No one said this was easy.

I feel inspired by that and in the grand scheme of things when I think about all the effort I put into other people's work it really is time to put that focus on my dreams. You know how it is, when you are at a job that you bust your butt for and ensure that you give them your best work and then your evaluation is well an evaluation for some other person? When your evaluation is surely a "let's find bad things to say, even if they are not true." That kind of evaluation is such a huge message that you are putting your energy in the wrong place.

Especially since that place has caused me physical pain that has needed medical attention.

I think it's the Universe's way of telling me, you know what it's telling me...

Hope you are listening to the messages that the Universe is giving you.

EY